In 2013, over 12 million 300 thousand people visited the capital.
MasterCard launches Priceless Rome for unique and “priceless” experiences, which reveal the eternal city from a new perspective.
A survey conducted by DOXA has investigated what “priceless” experiences mean to Rome Lovers. The result is a Priceless Rome Index of the most amazing places and pleasures that the Eternal City offers.
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Rome, April 3 2014 – MasterCard’s Priceless Cities (www.priceless.com/rome) now boasts a new city, Priceless Rome, offering a range of unique and exclusive experiences dedicated to both residents and visitors through special initiatives designed for MasterCard cardholders. Priceless Rome will give privileged access to the best of Rome in six different categories: Gastronomy, Art & Culture, Entertainment, Shopping, Sports and Travel & Hotel. The Eternal City joins more than 26 great capitals around the world that are part of the Priceless Cities program.
The “Priceless Rome Index” reveals Rome Lovers favorite places and experiences: from “a dinner prepared by a starred chef while admiring the city from a terrace” … to bucatini all’amatriciana.
Rome, with its views, sunsets, unique museums, silently fascinating monuments and shopping streets, is one of the world’s favorite tourist destinations, as is confirmed by the over 12 million and 300 thousand visitors who visited the eternal city in 2013 (4% more than 2012)*. The residents and visitors who are most passionate about this city are the so-called “Rome Lovers”.
On behalf of Mastercard, Doxa selected some unique experiences and “Priceless Places” symbolizing the city with the help of a select group of influencers and experts. Subsequently, over 850 city lovers – i.e. residents or people intending to visit Rome in the next 2-3 years – were asked to indicate their favorite experiences and places. The result is a real Priceless Rome Index, which offers the key to unique “priceless” experiences in Rome. When asked to indicate their favorite places in Rome, 61% indicated the Vatican Museums, while 46% of the sample prefer the historical center (Pantheon/ Piazza Navona/Piazza di Spagna), and 43% prefer the Colosseum. An interesting finding concerns the pasta dish which best symbolizes the Eternal City. Surprisingly, bucatini all’amatriciana (cited by 46% of the sample) beats spaghetti alla carbonara (19%) and tonnarelli cacio e pepe (17%).
In the “Priceless Experiences” ranking, an unmissable experience is “a dinner prepared by a starred chef while admiring the city from a terrace“ (cited by 32% of Rome Lovers). “Enjoying Rome at dusk with a private itinerary, to experience the magic of hidden places bathed in an enchanting light” ranks second (29%). Finally, 24% indicate “An exclusive after hours visit to an art exhibition with its curator as special guide“.
Doxa’s research for MasterCard confirms that food, art and culture are the three worlds that make Rome the ideal Priceless City in Italy (according to 49% of the sample).
Priceless Rome with 60 partners for unique food, art and culture experiences, plus shopping.
From today, the Priceless Rome(www.priceless.com/rome) website offers MasterCard cardholders the privilege of experiencing the city of Rome in a completely new way. Some experiences are already active and there are many others to come, including private and exclusive visits to museums, private meetings with famous musicians and conductors, shopping with dedicated offers, unique gastronomic moments in the temples of taste, fun family activities to enjoy with the children in exceptional culture and art locations, tickets for the best sporting events and much more.
Partners which have already joined or will shortly make their experiences accessible include the Vatican Museums and the Musei in Comune system (in collaboration with Zetema), the MAXXI National Museum of the Arts of the XXI Century, the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia and the Fondazione Musica per Roma (the two cultural organizations at the Auditorium Parco della Musica), important theaters like the Eliseo, Argentina and Olimpico, Eataly, the most panoramic and exclusive restaurants of Rome, the McArthur Glen Designer Outlet in Castel Romano, and the main hotels chains of the Capital (which can be booked through venere.com). MasterCard cardholders registering on the Priceless Rome website will have the privilege of going to a concert with the bonus of special experiences, such as the guidance of a musicologist before the concert, a guided visit of the MUSA, the Museum of Musical Instruments, or, at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, a backstage meeting with the musicians. Families will be able to visit art exhibitions with a special treasure hunt for children to discover the secrets of the museum, as in the case of the MAXXI. Finally, pop and rock music lovers will be able to go to all the concerts held by Fondazione Musica per Roma season paying a reduced-price ticket, with the best seating allotment and priceless moments during the most important concerts produced by the Fondazione.
Other partnerships are being finalized with the Vatican Museums, which are expected to give the privilege of visiting archeological sites that have only just been opened, such as the Villa Barberini gardens in Castel Gandolfo or the necropolis on the Via Triumphalis, or of visiting the Vatican Museums on Friday evenings with a reduced-price ticket from May to October. Another partnership is being established with the Musei in Comune system, in collaboration with Zetema, which will offer experiences in iconic places such as the Ara Pacis, the Musei Capitolini (Capitoline Museums), Trajan’s Market and the MACRO Museum.
According to Monica Biagiotti, Head of Marketing at MasterCard Europe: “Italy is the fifth tourist destination in the world. Rome was the obvious choice as the first Italian city to be involved in the Priceless Cities Project. MasterCard is proud to offer to those who live in Rome, as well as to those who visit the city for passion, the possibility of discovering and experiencing Rome in a new and exciting way, thanks to the surprises and unique experiences designed by our prestigious partners exclusively for MasterCard cardholders.”
SOURCE: EBTL – Ente Bilaterale Turismo del Lazio
Contacts:
INC – Istituto Nazionale per la Comunicazione – Tel +39 06 4416081
Simone Silvi, Tel +39 347 5967201, s.silvi@inc-comunicazione.it
Fulvio D’andrea, Tel +39 334 3757384, f.dandrea@inc-comunicazione.it
MasterCard
Giuliana Abbate, Tel +39 06 49259223, cell. +39 3492105648, giuliana_abbate@mastercard.com
Priceless Rome is the twenty-seventh city to have joined the Global Program of MasterCard Priceless Cities. Since the program was launched in New York, MasterCard has added London, Chicago, Miami, Los Angeles, Buenos Aires, Bogota, Singapore, Rio de Janeiro, Mexico City, Paris, Moscow, Istanbul, Honolulu, Lima, Santiago, Santo Domingo, Puerto Rico, Beijing, Sydney, Stockholm and Madrid. Thanks to MasterCard Priceless Cities, cardholders have the opportunity to travel around the world, go to any theater, restaurant or museum to experience and learn about the great cities of the world from an entirely new point of view, through unique experiences and privileged access created exclusively for them on the basis of the DNA of each individual city.
MasterCard(NYSE: MA), www.mastercard.com, is a technology company in the global payments industry. We operate the world’s fastest payments processing network, connecting consumers, financial institutions, merchants, governments and businesses in more than 210 countries and territories. MasterCard’s products and solutions make everyday commerce activities – such as shopping, traveling, running a business and managing finances – easier, more secure and more efficient for everyone. Follow us on Twitter @MasterCardNews, join the discussion on the Cashless Conversations Blog and subscribe for the latest news.
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